AI dependence among university students is driven less by routine use and more by the reasons students turn to the technology, with escape from daily stress and the search for social connection emerging as the strongest warning signs, according to a new study. The findings suggest that risk rises when artificial intelligence becomes an emotional refuge, a substitute for difficult social interaction or a tool for avoiding distress, rather than when it is used simply for study or productivity. The study, titled Using Machine-Learning and Network Analysis to Investigate the Risk Factors of AI Dependence: The Crucial Role of Escape...